Quarantine
by Isica
Summary: The sex virus made them do it. Brennan and Booth have picked up an unusual infection. Chapter 4 changed to M rating on request.
1. Chapter 1

Quarantine

All characters are property of Fox. I own nothing.

'A sex virus? You've got to be kidding me!'

'It's not a sex virus, Booth,' Camille Saroyan said amusedly. 'It's an infection that over-stimulates hormone production and increases libido exponentially…'

'That's a sex virus!'

'Booth, just calm down. We need to look at this rationally and calmly. After all, we're both in the same situation.'

Well, he couldn't argue with that.

It had been twelve hours since Brennan and Booth had been exposed to the infection and they were only just realising what they'd got themselves into. They were now being held in a quarantined room in a private hospital while Hodgins, Cam, Angela and Sweets were observing from behind a glass screen. Angela was currently suffering from suppressed laughter, much to Booth's disgust, and Cam wasn't any better. Even Hodgins was hard pushed to keep the grin off his face. Now he addressed the couple below.

'Dude, this is like, your ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card. How often do you get to say, 'The sex virus made me do it'?'

'Hodgins, you continue talking and when we get out I will shoot you.'

Hodgins stopped laughing.

Sweets decided to chip in. 'This is a fascinating experiment from a psychological point of view. Could I include this as a chapter in my book?'

'NO!' Brennan and Booth shouted in unison, whilst glaring at the screen. Booth sank down onto a sofa. 'Star Trek. My life has turned into something from Star Trek.'

'I don't know what that means,' Brennan said distractedly.

She was looking around the room in which they'd spend the next 48 hours. Mercifully, the quarantine period was short as if they were going to get the virus it would show in that time. And, there were worse places to be stuck for 48 hours.

They were in a large room which was overlooked by the observation room. It had two beds at one end and a sofa and TV at the other. There was also an adjacent bathroom which could not be overlooked.

'We have a case to work on,' Cam informed the couple. 'In the meantime, we've arranged for your favourite food to be delivered three times a day for the next two days. If the quarantine is longer, we'll make further arrangements.'

'Longer? I have work to do!' Even Brennan was getting worked up now.

'You can work on your book, sweetie,' Angela suggested.

Brennan rewarded her with a grimace that made Angela privately wonder whether her face had got stuck.

'Well, we'll stop by later,' said Cam in a tone of forced jollity.

They picked up their bags and left. Brennan slumped down next to Booth. 'My laptop's being sent from the Jeffersonian. It should be here in a couple hours.'

'No internet though,' Booth was determined to be miserable. 'Wanna watch some TV?'

'I want to investigate this area thoroughly first. We haven't really had time yet to do so.' Brennan suited her actions to the word by getting up again and walking around the room slowly. She discovered a list of symptoms pinned up by the beds, an emergency call button and a timetable of when medics would visit and mealtimes. She also noticed a button marked 'privacy'. Brennan had a sneaking suspicion that it had very recently been installed just in case they succumbed to the virus.

She was interrupted in these musings by Booth who had got up and was near the door. 'Hey Bones, there's a package in the slot. He took it to the sofa.

'It's not a bomb, is it?' Brennan was recalled to the present.

'What? No! It's a, it's….oh.'

Booth trailed off. Brennan sat down next to him and peered into the box. It contained a couple of puzzle books, a paper, a TV guide, some pens and underneath, a giant pack of condoms. ('I am going to kill Angela,' Brennan muttered under her breath.) There was also a note at the bottom.

'Hey guys! Don't know when you got this as it probably had to get through the sterilising process. The puzzles and TV guide are there for your amusement. We will get spare clothes to you both later. Angela, Cam, Hodgins and Sweets. P.S. The condoms are there because we'd rather not have to deal with a pregnant Brennan, unless you two are doing the horizontal mambo without a virus. (Ange x)'

Booth chuckled as he finished reading. 'Angela is a hopeless romantic.;

'It's probably what makes her such a good artist.' Brennan replied. 'Anthropologically speaking….'

'I'm not really fussed right now though, ok Bones? I just want to get through the next 48 hours.'

They spent some time that afternoon alternating between puzzle books and the TV, as Brennan's laptop hadn't yet turned up. In the event, it never did as Brennan was informed it could not be sterilised properly without destroying the hard drive.

They ate tea from Wong Foos, Booth's favourite Chinese restaurant. According to Cam, who visited later, their friend had laughed at the latest predicament and prepared a magnificent gourmet meal.

'Booth,' Brennan remarked à propos of nothing in between bites of spring roll, 'what time do you want to go to bed tonight?'

Booth spat out his sweet 'n' sour. 'What?!'

'Do you go to bed early or late? Normally I go quite late, but there's not much else to do here so I might go early. And which bed do you want?' She finished the spring roll and wiped her fingers.

Booth was saved from answering by the arrival of their clothes, which had been sent by Cam, Angela, Sweets and Hodgins (or CASH, as Booth in his boredom had nicknamed them). They abandoned the remnants of their meal and went to examine the bags. Luckily, all was in order.

Things continued pleasantly until 11pm. Then Booth and Brennan decided to call it a night. They neatly avoided potential embarrassment with Booth showering first, then giving way to Brennan as he sat in bed.

Brennan finished brushing her hair, tied it back and clambered into bed. She switched the light off.

'Night Booth.'

'Night Bones.'


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer as before.

Booth awoke the next morning feeling momentarily disorientated. Then he remembered. He was in quarantine because of a sex virus and he was stuck there with Bones.

As if she had heard her name, Brennan stirred and opened her eyes. 'What time is it?' she asked blearily.

Booth glanced at his watch. '8am. We slept late.'

'We did indeed. I haven't slept this late since….erm….well a while.'

'In other words, ever,' Booth grinned as he headed to the bathroom to get dressed.

'You know, you can get dressed in here; I don't mind,' Brennan called after him.

'Ok, two things wrong with that,' Booth replied, coming back into the room. 'One, I'm not changing in front of you and two, I'm certainly not doing it in front of a clear glass screen.' He indicated the observation room above them.

'I'd forgotten about the room,' Brennan admitted. 'I just thought you were shy because you didn't want me comparing you to other men.'

'What?!' yelped an outraged Booth. (This was getting to be a habit.) 'Bones, that's going a bit far….'

'Anyway, I don't see what you have to complain about,' Brennan continued as if Booth had not spoken. 'Your skeletal structure is very good and you seem to have good measurements of the body parts I can see, so I can imagine the rest are rather good too.'

At this point a nurse made herself known for the morning round. It was just as well Brennan and Booth were absorbed in each other and they barely noticed her, for she had heard every word of the last conversation and was currently suffering from suppressed laughter.

After the tests they got dressed and had breakfast. Brennan opted for fruit and Booth the scrambled egg.

'Got any plans for the day?' Booth asked sarcastically.

'I may do a bit of yoga and possibly and possibly some puzzles. It's best to keep the mind occupied. You?'

'Exercise sounds like a good idea, then maybe I'll watch some TV.'

Bones and Booth spent until 1pm at their respective activities; Brennan also practised t'ai chi while Booth did press-ups. They were both glowing from the exercise by the time their lunch arrived.

Booth looked over his steak to his companion. Bones was playing with her pasta. Her face was still flushed which made her eyes even darker. He preferred her skin pale though. It gave her a look of polished ivory, a perfect complexion, with a soft kissable mouth….Booth slammed down that thought into his subconscious. It would not help to torment himself with what he would do if he could, especially given their proximity. He gave a sigh and finished his food in silence. Observant as he was, Booth failed to notice that while he had cooled down, Bones was still flushed.

After lunch they both headed for the puzzle books and Booth turned on the TV. Half an hour or so in, he became aware that Bones had stopped talking. He glanced over and realised that she was asleep. He let out a small chuckle, stretched out on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Booth didn't know what had woken him up, but he knew immediately that something was wrong. It took all of three seconds for him to recognise the half-gasping, half-sobbing noise coming from the corner of the room and he headed straight for the dark-haired woman crouched there.

'Bones are you ok?' He had never known her to fully cry and he could hear a harshness behind the gasps that made his skin prickle. Deep inside, the sound felt familiar but he couldn't place it.

Bones slowly raised her head and looked Booth straight in the eyes. Her pupils had dilated so much her eyes were completely black and a fine sheen of moisture lay across her brow. She blinked slowly. 'Seeley,' she purred in a voice so low and husky that Booth could have sworn she'd dropped a couple of octaves since he'd last spoken to her.

Almost instinctively, he realised what the earlier performance had meant. The doctors would confirm the more serious problem, but Booth was pretty sure Bones was half-sobbing in sexual frustration.

Carefully he backed away and headed to the call button. He pressed it and soon after the doctor and a nurse were in the room, taking blood samples from both of them and carefully getting Brennan into bed. She was unresisting and indeed only half-conscious, due to the exhaustion of her increasing fever. He watched as they gently applied cold gel packs to her body to try and bring her temperature down and gave her a sedative. Eventually the doctor approached Booth.

'What's the problem, doc? Has she got it?' He didn't need to specify what.

The doctor sighed. 'It looks that way. She has most of the primary symptoms. Headaches, pupil dilation and fever. The over-stimulated hormones will show up in the tests.

'Mr Booth, I am also sorry to inform you that if Dr Brennan has the virus, your proximity over the last 24hours increases your chances of developing it. I would conservatively give you an 80% chance of becoming infected.'

Booth merely nodded. He'd expected it really. His sole concern at the present was his partner anyway.

The doctor left about 5 minutes later, talking about hourly monitoring of the patients. At this juncture, Booth crept over to Bones, sat on his bed and held her hand. He was found like that an hour later by the Squint Squad.

'Booth?' Cam said, peering through the glass.

'Oh boy,' Angela said turning to Hodgins. 'Bren was infected.'

'They're not sure of that yet,' Booth called up from his position on the bed.

'I'm afraid we are,' a new voice said. A doctor came over waving a print-out. 'The results of the blood test. Dr Brennan's came back positive for the virus.'

'Damn,' said Booth.


	3. Chapter 3

Quarantine

'Booth was right. This is Star Trek.' Cam surveyed her team in the observation room. They'd backed away from the screen so Booth couldn't see them and turned the microphone off.

The doctor with the test results gave a smile but then became serious once more.

'Unfortunately, it is worse than that,' he said. 'Mr Booth's test results also show elevated hormones which can only mean that sooner or later he will get the virus.'

Angela smirked. 'Looks like they're gonna need those condoms after all.'

The doctor didn't even blink. 'Because of the nature of the virus, we screened them both for STIs when they were placed in quarantine. Dr Brennan also informed us that she had recently had the contraceptive injection. Should they, um, succumb to the virus it is unlikely there will be any physical repercussions.'

'What about psychological?' Cam asked.

The doctor looked grim and turned to Sweets, who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

'Despite Dr Brennan's ability to rationalise, she will undoubtedly struggle to move on if she has sex with Agent Booth under the influence of a virus. And Booth, despite his show of macho bravado, is not the type of person who has a one night stand. For him, sex must have an emotional connection. As for their current friendship, a sexual connection could make or break it completely.'

'I know you're talking about us up there,' Booth suddenly said. 'Stop discussing our sex lives!'

'Booth, we're trying to figure out your options up here,' Cam said into the mike, attempting to speak calmly. 'I think you should move rooms so that Brennan and you don't....'

'Swap more than spit?' Angela cut in, causing Hodgins and Sweets to splutter.

Cam glared at her, but before she could say anything, the doctor spoke up. 'We would if we could, but the other isolation rooms here are full. The other thing is, we've been studying the effect the virus has on a person, and actually the quickest way to cure it is to, well, follow your instincts.'

Angela's mouth dropped open, and her eyes gleamed, but before she could speak, Hodgins, in a subdued voice asked slowly, 'Are you telling me, that Dr Brennan and Booth have to have sex to cure them?' (Cam tried not to smile as she saw Booth put his head in his hands.)

The doctor hastily tried to reassure them. 'No, not necessarily. All I'm suggesting is that the chemicals released during intercourse are a much quicker cure than anything we can give them. It would probably cure them, ahem, overnight.'

Angela couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, and after a moment, the rest of the team joined her.

Booth looked decidedly annoyed. 'Why are you laughing?' he demanded. 'This isn't funny.' Unfortunately the expression on his face made them laugh harder.

'I'm sorry dude,' Hodgins said at last, wiping his eyes, 'But you do seem to get yourself in these messes.'

'Well I respect Bones too much to just have sex, even to cure an illness quicker, so I guess if I get it, I'll just have to rely on medicine,' Booth said determinedly.

Seeing that he was serious, the rest of the team turned the conversation to lighter topics and they had a pleasant chat until they had to disperse.

Booth sat down on the sofa with his food, feeling alone despite the presence of Bones on the bed behind him. He didn't even dare have the TV too loud in case it woke the sleeping woman. His food was delicious, but it tasted like cardboard in his mouth. He felt really bored.

Despite himself, he turned round and looked at Bones. From his vantage point, he couldn't see much but he could just catch a glimpse of her face. He thought that, even with her flushed face, heavy breathing and rapid muttering she was still one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.

Booth sighed and finished his meal in silence. Later he went to bed, where he lay awake for a long time before finally dropping off to sleep.

On waking, Booth realised that Bones was sitting up, looking at him, with a distinctly... _hungry_ look on her face.

Almost without noticing, Booth began to back away from her, towards the other side of his bed (in spite of the fact it was only a single). Then he got up, grabbed his clothes and charged into the bathroom, securely locking the door behind him.

'It's gonna be a long day,' he muttered to himself.

By lunchtime, though, Booth was feeling more optimistic. At Bones' own feverish request, she was given more sedative in order to sleep off the side-effects of the virus. She was currently unconscious, still with a raging fever. Booth was lounging on the sofa, replete with puzzle book (cryptic crosswords, he was really bored), contemplating his options.

They were limited, in truth. He could either 'have sex with Bones,' an option he still had to think of in quotation marks, or hold out and pray he didn't fall victim as well. Hell, he didn't even want to think of the consequences if they both succumbed. Mind you, the thought Brennan in his arms, moaning at his touch, screaming his name....

Booth became conscious of the fact that he was suddenly feeling rather hot, and that his head was aching. He closed his eyes but couldn't lie still. He tried pacing around the room but it didn't help. After staring with glazed eyes at the TV for a while, he decided to try and have a shower to cool himself down.

He stayed in there for a long time, alternating between almost scalding water to freezing cold. His skin was tingling when he got out, and the skin-to-towel contact brought an almost pleasurable feeling to him. However, Booth was not quite coherent enough by now to recognise the symptoms of the virus and so carried on as normal.

When he re-entered the main room Bones was awake and a male nurse was just drawing some more blood. He smiled at Booth, who suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of rage against this man for daring to touch HIS Bones without permission.

Booth literally growled, and leapt forward as if to beat the nurse to the ground. Thankfully, he had not realised just how much his reflexes had slowed and the nurse was able to call up for help before tackling him.

It took two nurses to wrestle Booth to the ground, and another doctor to administer an extremely powerful sedative. It took effect almost immediately, and Booth slumped on the floor. He was carried to his bed, where blood was drawn and then left. The remaining nurse turned to Bones.

'Agent Booth has probably got the virus,' he said slowly, not sure how much she could comprehend.

Bones merely nodded and lay against her pillows. It was getting late by this time, and she felt hungry in more ways than one. Just as she had finished eating Team CASH arrived. They gaped at the sight they beheld.

'What happened?' asked Angela stupidly.

The doctor escorting them rolled his eyes. 'Agent Booth has the virus.'


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer as usual. All characters property of Fox.

Quarantine

Bones lay awake that night. Booth was asleep, his body getting rid of the sedative and getting ready to fight the infection. But Brennan couldn't sleep. Her skin was so sensitive it hurt to lie on the bed. She sat up, dragged her duvet onto the floor and lay on it, the hardness of the floor in some way negating the tingling of her skin.

She was better than before; her fever had slowed and her temperature was down a couple of degrees, but it was still high. Above all she still felt the need of another human being. She'd resisted all day firstly because Booth had refused and then when he'd become ill, she'd been too worried to think about or acknowledge it.

Brennan was not alert enough to realise that she had spoken her thoughts aloud. But her half-coherent mutterings had been enough to wake Booth, whose sedative, unknown to Brennan, had worn off some time ago. He opened his eyes and sat up. His eyes were still dilated, but his fever wasn't as bad as Brennan's. Confusedly he came up to where she lay on the ground and lay down next to her, pulling his duvet with him.

As he did so his arm brushed up against Bones. She was only wearing a camisole top and the resultant skin-to-skin contact sent an electric jolt straight through Bones' body. She let out a small moan and arched her back.

At the sight of her Booth couldn't stop himself. He reached out and stroked her neck. 'Bones,' he whispered.

Whether it was the fact that he'd managed to instantly locate one of her pleasure centres, or that it set her skin on fire, it tipped Bones over the edge and snapped her self-control. With another moan she straddled Booth and started kissing him fiercely. Immediately, Booth responded and began kissing her back.

In the observation room, unnoticed by the couple below, the nurse who had just come in to take the readings backed silently away from the screen and hit the privacy button. Some blinds slid smoothly over the clear screen completely blocking the view of the room. The nurse allowed herself a small smirk and went to report to the doctor.

Meanwhile, Bones and Booth were still passionately exploring each other with their lips, shedding their clothes as they went. Without meaning to, they'd shifted so that Bones was underneath and Booth was leaning on an elbow, his other hand running up and down Bones' back. For his part, he didn't know what the hell Bones was doing with her hands as they seemed to be roaming his body. Everywhere, actually, except...

Oh. Wow.

He didn't even know she could do that with her hands.

_And_ they were still kissing.

He'd never last if she carried on like this. Time to turn the tables.

Booth pulled away from Bones, who gave a small whimper of loss and grabbed her hands. She struggled lazily but Booth, remembering her reaction at the beginning, started kissing her neck. As he thought, all resistance stopped immediately.

He began to work his way down until he reached her breasts. At this point he released her hands and brushed his fingers over her lips. He felt her smile, and it was everything he'd ever fantasised about.

He took each nipple in his mouth, one at a time, slowly, lazily, then gently blew across them so that she could feel the sensations he felt when she was near. He was rewarded with a sigh of pleasure and he allowed himself a smile.

But Booth was not done yet. Bones watched as he made his way to the one part of her body that was aching the most and with a skill she'd never have believed if she'd been able to form a coherent thought, began to use his tongue in a way that brought her screaming and shivering over the edge in a matter of seconds.

As Bones began to collect her shattered mind together, only one thought stood out.

She wanted Booth, now.

Almost as though he could hear her thoughts (actually, he could, she was still slightly feverish and prone to muttering), Booth kissed her cheek and carefully entered her.

They began to move together, slowly at first and then suddenly Booth sped up as first he and seconds later Bones came apart, shattering into each other as she left four deep scratches in his back. They went unnoticed as the couple crashed down onto each other, panting gently.

Booth disentangled himself and rolled onto his back, next to Bones. She was slightly flushed and her eyes were half closed. He thought she looked beautiful.

He grabbed the duvet that had been kicked out of the way and wrapped it around them. For added measure, he put his arm round Bones. She snuggled up to him in an almost submissive gesture and he fell dazedly into unconsciousness thinking about the woman on his shoulder.

This is my first sex scene. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Quarantine

As he had a few days earlier, Booth woke up feeling disorientated. For a moment his memory was fuzzy, then, as he took in his surroundings, reality crashed down around him.

He was lying on the floor.

With Bones.

They were both naked, except for a sheet.

It was wrapped round both of them.

Crap.

He shifted, and involuntarily flexed his shoulder. This movement also brought the realisation that Bones was laying on him, although she was now stirring. He moved his free hand to prevent her from falling off his shoulder onto the floor and as he cupped her cheek, she opened her eyes and gazed into his.

Well, that brought last night flooding back, for both sides. Both Bones and Booth blushed as they realised that they indeed felt better and last night had in fact been one of the best nights of their lives.

Bones looked around. Now that she could think clearly, she noticed that the privacy screen was still in place from the previous night. As she knew she hadn't shut it and neither had Booth, there was only one possibility.

'Damn,' she said, her voice coming out slightly croaky.

'What?' asked a puzzled Booth. He was sincerely hoping this was not going to be a lecture on his 'abilities.'

Bones pointed towards the privacy screen. 'We didn't close that. So a nurse or doctor did.'

Booth closed his eyes and inwardly groaned, but he tried to maintain his optimism. 'Well they only saw a small part of the show, because they would have got the blinds down as quickly as possible. It could have been worse; they could have watched the whole thing.'

'I suppose,' Bones was starting to feel uncomfortably comfortable lying next to Booth. 'Do you think we should get dressed?'

'Definitely.' They stood up, strategically placing duvets, sheets and pillows around anatomy and while Bones headed for the shower Booth tidied up, covered himself and pulled back the screen. He spotted the condoms next to the bed and his heart sank. When Brennan emerged from the bathroom, looking and feeling much better he had to raise the subject.

'Bones, we had unprotected sex last night. There are a number of possibilities we have to deal with.'

Bones interrupted him in her usual forthright way. 'I can't get pregnant as I'm on contraceptives and I haven't got any STIs. So the only possibility is that you have something. Do you have any STIs?'

'No!' cried a horrified Booth, wondering how the conversation had become an interrogation.

'Good!' Brennan said and went to shower. He came back to find breakfast had been delivered and the doctor had sent a message saying he would arrive in half an hour or so.

Breakfast was a silent affair, punctuated only by the clink of cutlery. It must be said that both Brennan and Booth were suffering from extreme embarrassment firstly from the memories of their behaviour last night and secondly from the fact that they enjoyed it.

When the doctor arrived he took one look at Brennan and Booth and thought to himself that even if he hadn't been informed of last night's escapade, their demeanour would have given it away instantly.

After checking them over and drawing yet more blood, he told them that their temperatures were almost back to normal and that the tests on the blood would probably show the virus was clearing their system. Unfortunately, he couldn't resist the urge to add, 'Looks like the medication worked really well. You were cured almost overnight.'

Both went scarlet again but before they could retort, the doctor slipped out and Cam, Angela, Sweets and Hodgins appeared at the window.

'You had sex,' Angela suddenly announced very loudly. (Brennan mentally calculated that Angela could only have seen either of them for 1/100th of a second.) 'Oh my god, you had sex!'

'What?' Cam asked. 'They had sex?'

'How'd you figure?' said Hodgins, who had not really looked at the couple below.

Angela pointed to Bones and Booth and said simply, 'They're cured.'

Slowly the team swivelled round to look at Bones and Booth. It was not possible for them to go any redder.

'Oh. My. God.' Sweets said, as the full reality began to sink in. 'You did have sex.'

Booth and Bones looked at each other and nodded. 'Yes, yeah, we did,' they admitted.

'My eyes have died and gone to heaven,' Angela whispered to Cam. 'I never thought I'd see this.'

'Me neither,' Cam whispered back. 'I owe you $100.'

Booth heard this last, and he glared accusingly at Cam. 'You bet on us having sex?' he growled.

Angela was practically bouncing – and totally unrepentant. 'Yep,' she said. I knew you'd succumb. No-one could deny that chemistry.'

'How do you feel now?' Sweets cut in.

'Better,' Bones answered without looking at him. She felt angry, partly because she did succumb to her desire, partly because she'd enjoyed it and partly because apparently half the Jeffersonian had been taking bets on her sex life.

'I realise there will be consequences to your illness,' Sweets ploughed on, in an attempt to reduce the tension in the atmosphere, 'but I hope you know I'm here to listen anytime you wish to talk as well as...'

'Get out,' Booth said, and everybody stopped. 'Go now. And don't argue with me. Bones and I have been in an uncomfortable situation for several days, and you've been taking bets on how long it would take for us to rip each other's clothes off. I'm disappointed. Please leave and come back later.'

In stunned silence, the team left. When they had vanished from sight Booth slumped back on the sofa and smiled at Bones.

'OK, what's our strategy going to be then?' He laughed at her face. 'Come on Bones, I'm not really that mad at them. It's only natural that they would wonder if we'd hold out.'

'It's irrational to take bets on it though,' Bones pointed out.

'Not really, if you think about it. We both got a virus that can be cured by sex, and everyone thinks we fancy each other. The logical conclusion (and I learnt that phrase from you Bones) is that we would have sex, as the best way to cure the virus.'

'Is that what happened?' Bones turned to look him straight in the eyes. 'We made a logical decision using science?' Her voice grew softer. 'No feelings involved?'

Booth didn't know what to say. He'd played this scenario over in his head so many different ways, and now it was here. But if he confessed his true feelings and she rejected him, they'd never work together again. Was it worth it?

Out of nowhere, he thought of Sully. He nearly lost her then. He thanked God every day he hadn't. She wasn't going to slip through his fingers again.

He took a deep breath, and looked at Bones. 'Last night,' he began. 'Last night was one of the most amazing nights of my life and I'll never regret it.'

Bones' eyes widened, and she smiled shyly. 'I remember my skin on fire and then it felt like having ice pressed against it. I don't regret it either.'

'So where do we go from here?' Booth asked, trying to move the conversation on.

'Home, I hope,' Bones replied.

'No Bones, I meant us.'

'Well, I think we need to spend some time away from each other, to reassess. And then we can talk. If they let us out today, do you want to meet at the diner tomorrow for lunch?'

'No, that's too public a place for this discussion. What about meeting at my apartment? I'll get some Thai food in.'

'That sounds fine. Tomorrow at seven?' Bones asked.

'I'll be expecting you,' Booth replied.

Several hours later, Booth and Bones were discharged and both temporarily went their separate ways. Booth drove like a maniac all the way to his apartment, where he flung himself down onto his bed and stared with unfocused eyes at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Bones, meanwhile, entered her apartment and slowly and methodically checked for mail, missed phone calls and new emails. Then she changed into some fresh clothes and, since she wasn't due back at work until the following day, resumed work on her book. But she found she couldn't concentrate. Thoughts of Booth kept passing through her mind. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down to think.

What did she want from Booth? She freely admitted she enjoyed their friendship, and had done ever since they met. She also admitted (strictly to herself) that she had fantasised about kissing him. But when it happened... it was like nothing she could ever have dreamed about. And last night had been amazing. With a start, she realised that the decision had already been made and there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. With a sigh, she picked up the phone and dialled the familiar number.

Booth himself meanwhile had starting restlessly pacing up and down his apartment. He had come to his conclusion some time ago and was now determined to see it through. However, it was a long time until tomorrow night and he was feeling frustrated at his lack of control over the situation. Just then the phone rang.

Booth picked up the receiver. 'Hello?'

'Booth? It's Brennan. I don't suppose you feel like meeting now, do you?'

'Sure, shall I come to you?'

'Please. Could you bring some takeaway as well?'

'No problem.'

Forty minutes later, Booth arrived at Brennan's apartment. He entered Bones' apartment, and placed the food on the table. He turned and almost bumped into Bones who was behind him with a bottle of wine.

'Sorry Bones, I...'

'Booth, it's...'

They stopped and looked at each other. Then Bones decided to bite the bullet and speak first. 'Booth, I want to be with you. You were right. The entire Jeffersonian was right. Last night was the best night of my life and I can't begin to contemplate being with anybody else.'

In reply, Booth swept her into his arms and they kissed passionately. Then he carried her to her bedroom while the meal they had planned so carefully was left cooling on a table.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

It was five months after the sex virus, and Bones and Booth had been slowly exploring their relationship. Never people for convention, the unorthodox beginning of their relationship had meant it had begun on a deeper level. But now it had come full circle.

Brennan and Booth walked into the Jeffersonian lab together and all eyes turned to them. They were, quite literally, radiant.

'What has happened?' asked a bemused Angela.

In reply, Bones held up her hand. Amidst the cheers and shrieks of surprise she announced, 'We're engaged!'


End file.
